Over the past decade, makerspaces have been established in a variety of informal and, increasingly, formal educational settings (Peppler, 2016). Educators teach students how to use specific tools, give them guided projects to do, or let them dream up their own project ideas. They have students work alone, in small groups, or together on whole-class projects. Researchers study ways that makerspace activities can encourage and motivate students to have authentic, personalized experiences (Agency by Design, 2015).
Resources such as the Makerspace Playbook provide ideas for how to set up a makerspace, facilitate maker-based education, and host showcases for students to share their projects. Conferences like FabLearn and the MakerEd Convening bring together maker educators and researchers alike to share best practices and build community. Among all of these, one common thread is the…
